During one of the downpours of rain, we ducked into the Museo del Juguete Popular Mexicano, or the local Toy Museum in San Miguel de Allende.
Walking through the toys evoked all sorts of emotions - desires to reach into the display cases and play for the younger viewers, memories and nostalgia for the older viewers, as well as simply wonder at the ingenuity of the creators of the toys, and the love put into each one.
The materials used were just as fascinating. We ran into everything including straw, paper maché, wood, clay, cardboard, recycled aluminum cans, gourds, mango pits, coconut shells and husks, etc. Depending on what materials were most common for any given region or population, the toys were crafted and painstakingly adorned and made beautiful.
The doll houses, their furniture, and cooking utensils were particularly interesting to the kids, as they reflected a very different architecture and lifestyle from what the kids are accustomed to, and at the same time, the kids saw miniature versions of many of the items they'd seen here in the markets during previous visits.
By the time we made it through the museum and gift store, the kids found a few mini items to with which to remember Mexico by, and which they could add to their own doll house and toy box back home.
During one of the downpours of rain, we ducked into the Museo del Juguete Popular Mexicano, or the local Toy Museum in San Miguel de Allende.
Walking through the toys evoked all sorts of emotions - desires to reach into the display cases and play for the younger viewers, memories and nostalgia for the older viewers, as well as simply wonder at the ingenuity of the creators of the toys, and the love put into each one.
The materials used were just as fascinating. We ran into everything including straw, paper maché, wood, clay, cardboard, recycled aluminum cans, gourds, mango pits, coconut shells and husks, etc. Depending on what materials were most common for any given region or population, the toys were crafted and painstakingly adorned and made beautiful. 
The doll houses, their furniture, and cooking utensils were particularly interesting to the kids, as they reflected a very different architecture and lifestyle from what the kids are accustomed to, and at the same time, the kids saw miniature versions of many of the items they'd seen here in the markets during previous visits. 
By the time we made it through the museum and gift store, the kids found a few mini items to with which to remember Mexico by, and which they could add to their own doll house and toy box back home.
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